Pagers & Radios

Hey BC79er
Are pagers such as motorola minitor IV and portable radios a priorty for funding? We have put in for this the last 3 years and haven't recieved. Your response and advise is greatly appreciated.

Right now, and I think that Brian would agree, communications is a high priority item. Promoting interoperability and enhanced communication has been a big push, especially regional projects. We were awarded $630,000+ for a regional communications project which included pagers, portable radios, mobile radios, base stations, and also a repeater system and various other components.

If you have applied 3 years in a row for the same project and have not been funded then maybe you need to re-evaluate your project description and make sure that you are fully describing your needs and that you are covering all aspects of the project. I'm sure Brian, Kurt, or Alana can provide better insight in this area.

I would have to agree with Ryan's take on the situation. The same project 3 years in a row means that something isn't working in your favor. Even if you've been reviewed all 3 years, then something statistically is in your favor, but not when it comes to the narrative. Something isn't making them sing your praises and sign a check over to you.

Regional is practically the only way I recommend doing communications. It's hard to say you're promoting interoperability when you're the lone wolf out to get improvements and leave everyone else behind or to fend for themselves. Now if you're the single duck without the updated communications equipment, then of course you have to apply by yourself, but you need to really sing your own praises in order to make it happen. And not just in interoperability terms, but enhanced internal operations.

This year's DHS Workshop PPT has been improved upon again as they have done in previous years. They took out the Instructor Notes that used to contain the magic points about water tank size and such, but no biggie.

06

BC - based on your last post - if communications is a hot topic do you think the follwoing has merit - a new trunk radio system and new portables to expand inter-operability between the nine departments within the township including the EMS squads not in the count above?

New portables, mobiles, repeaters, whole 9 yards. As long as it's a complete solution involving all parties, it's a viable project. You just have to watch your costs to make sure they don't go over the max for the population covered. And don't forget that the matching requirements are the same for all involved. And odds are it will be 20% matching. Still a heck of a deal, but 95% off is a better number.

New portables, mobiles, repeaters, whole 9 yards. As long as it's a complete solution involving all parties, it's a viable project. You just have to watch your costs to make sure they don't go over the max for the population covered. And don't forget that the matching requirements are the same for all involved. And odds are it will be 20% matching. Still a heck of a deal, but 95% off is a better number.

The question I'd ask.... What do you expect from the trunking system that you wont get from a conventional system, especially if this is just for one township ?

If you set up a 800 or 900 mhz trunking system, and your neighbors are on VHF or UHF conventional, how will that improve your communications interoperability?

Why? Because we are firemen. We are decent human beings. We would be compelled by the overwhelming impulse to save an innocent child from a tragic, painful death because in the end, we are MEN.

I A C O J
FTM-PTB

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The question I'd ask.... What do you expect from the trunking system that you wont get from a conventional system, especially if this is just for one township ?

If you set up a 800 or 900 mhz trunking system, and your neighbors are on VHF or UHF conventional, how will that improve your communications interoperability?

I guess what I'm not understanding is why you would want to go to an 800 or 900 mhz trunking system when everyone else is on VHF or UHF.

I think the solution is to get everyone on the same field and go after a regional project where either all of you will be on the VHF or UHF system with repeater sites strategically placed or go to the 800 or 900 mhz trunked system. The key is to get everyone on the same field. INTEROPERABILITY! That's the magic word.

If yu are an individual department pagers would be ok but, I don't see much chance for anyone for radios unless they are closing the circle on a previously established communications plan or taking on a "whole enchilada" project for everyone of the FDs in your area.